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Prof. Margaret Defeyter
Northumbria University at Newcastle

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0 Cognition
0 food insecurity
0 Poverty and inequality
0 Social Justice and Human Rights
0 Child Developmental Psychology

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Public health
Published: 19 May 2021 in Frontiers in Public Health
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During the school summer holidays, pressures on the already tight budgets of low-income families are compounded, particularly when the safety net of free school meals is removed. The main aim of the current study was to investigate how low-income parents and carers feed their families during term time when children receive free school meals and if, and how, strategies differ during the school summer holidays. A secondary aim was to investigate the role of holiday activity and food programmes in supporting parents and carers to feed their children during the school summer holidays. We used purposive sampling to recruit a total of 21 parents (N = 20 Female, N = 1 Male) whose children attended free summer holiday clubs in Scotland and England during summer 2017. Participants were asked about their food and shopping habits during the school term and if, and how they differed during the school summer holidays when free school meals were not available. The findings suggest that food insecurity is a constant factor in the lives of low-income parents in England and Scotland, and that the stages of food insecurity and the strategies employed to mitigate its effects appear to be cyclical, aligning with the Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) food insecurity continuum and the school academic year. During term time, parents and carers worried about food, suggesting they were experiencing mild food insecurity, despite their children being in receipt of free school meals. As the school holidays approached, moderate food insecurity was experienced as parents reported that they began “provisioning,” storing food and reducing household expenditure. During the summer holidays, food did not last, and parental food acquisition habits became more intense. Parents downgraded food brands and bought reduced price items of food. Ultimately, parents self-sacrificed their own nutritional intake by only buying food their children would eat and parents often skipped meals or only ate their children's leftovers. However, children's attendance at holiday club helped make the food at home last longer and once school resumed, parents returned to their less intense, but constantly coping approach to food shopping. The findings of this study suggest that food insecurity is a constant factor in the lives of low-income families who simply do not have enough household income to prevent them from experiencing food insecurity, even when initiatives such as free school meals and access to holiday club provision with food and activities are in place.

ACS Style

Jackie Shinwell; Margaret Anne Defeyter. Food Insecurity: A Constant Factor in the Lives of Low-Income Families in Scotland and England. Frontiers in Public Health 2021, 9, 1 .

AMA Style

Jackie Shinwell, Margaret Anne Defeyter. Food Insecurity: A Constant Factor in the Lives of Low-Income Families in Scotland and England. Frontiers in Public Health. 2021; 9 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jackie Shinwell; Margaret Anne Defeyter. 2021. "Food Insecurity: A Constant Factor in the Lives of Low-Income Families in Scotland and England." Frontiers in Public Health 9, no. : 1.

Original research article
Published: 26 April 2021 in Frontiers in Public Health
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This paper draws upon the concept of recreancy to examine the mental well-being of university students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Briefly, recreancy is loss of societal trust that results when institutional actors can no longer be counted on to perform their responsibilities. Our study of mental well-being and recreancy focuses on the role of universities and government regulators within the education sector. We surveyed 600 UK students attending 161 different public higher education providers in October 2020 during a time when many UK students were isolated in their residences and engaged in online learning. We assessed student well-being using the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (scored 7–35) and found the mean score to be 19.9 [95% confidence interval (CI) 19.6, 20.2]. This level of well-being indicates that a significant proportion of UK students face low levels of mental well-being. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis indicates that high recreancy—measured as a low trust in universities and the government—is associated with low levels of mental well-being across the student sample. While these findings are suggestive, they are also important and we suggest that government and university leaders should not only work to increase food and housing security during the Covid-19 pandemic, but also consider how to combat various sector trends that might intensify recreancy.

ACS Style

Margaret Anne Defeyter; Paul B. Stretesky; Michael A. Long; Sinéad Furey; Christian Reynolds; Debbie Porteous; Alyson Dodd; Emily Mann; Anna Kemp; James Fox; Andrew McAnallen; Lara Gonçalves. Mental Well-Being in UK Higher Education During Covid-19: Do Students Trust Universities and the Government? Frontiers in Public Health 2021, 9, 646916 .

AMA Style

Margaret Anne Defeyter, Paul B. Stretesky, Michael A. Long, Sinéad Furey, Christian Reynolds, Debbie Porteous, Alyson Dodd, Emily Mann, Anna Kemp, James Fox, Andrew McAnallen, Lara Gonçalves. Mental Well-Being in UK Higher Education During Covid-19: Do Students Trust Universities and the Government? Frontiers in Public Health. 2021; 9 ():646916.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Margaret Anne Defeyter; Paul B. Stretesky; Michael A. Long; Sinéad Furey; Christian Reynolds; Debbie Porteous; Alyson Dodd; Emily Mann; Anna Kemp; James Fox; Andrew McAnallen; Lara Gonçalves. 2021. "Mental Well-Being in UK Higher Education During Covid-19: Do Students Trust Universities and the Government?" Frontiers in Public Health 9, no. : 646916.

Journal article
Published: 02 February 2021 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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In Northern Ireland, nearly 30% of children are thought to be at risk of going hungry in the summer holidays when they are unable to access free school meals. Community groups, voluntary groups, local authorities, and faith groups have responded to this concern by developing and delivering holiday programmes that enable children from low-income families to take part in activities and access food. The current study used purposive sampling to investigate children’s and young people’s views of holiday provision, from across three holiday clubs, in Northern Ireland. Both primary school children (n = 34; aged 4–11) and secondary school children (n = 31; aged 12–17) showed high levels of awareness of poverty and food insecurity and associated pressures and stresses on households. Importantly, children and young people did not feel stigmatised about attending holiday provision, suggesting a positive and inclusive culture towards holiday club attendance. Children reported that they enjoyed the range of activities provided at holiday clubs and reported that attendance improved their self-confidence, especially for some older children, who acted as peer mentors to younger attendees, helped them to develop new skills, and provided them with opportunities to socialise with peers in a safe environment, out with their normal social groupings in school. Older children showed a high level of shrewdness and knowledge of sectarian divides in communities but spoke positively about how different religious or cultural backgrounds did not matter in terms of meeting and making new friends in holiday club settings. In terms of food provision, the findings of this study suggest that further work needs to be done to support children to access and eat healthy, nutritious food.

ACS Style

Jackie Shinwell; Ellen Finlay; Caitlin Allen; Margaret Defeyter. Holiday Club Programmes in Northern Ireland: The Voices of Children and Young People. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18, 1337 .

AMA Style

Jackie Shinwell, Ellen Finlay, Caitlin Allen, Margaret Defeyter. Holiday Club Programmes in Northern Ireland: The Voices of Children and Young People. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18 (3):1337.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jackie Shinwell; Ellen Finlay; Caitlin Allen; Margaret Defeyter. 2021. "Holiday Club Programmes in Northern Ireland: The Voices of Children and Young People." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 3: 1337.

Journal article
Published: 22 January 2021 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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Background: A large majority of primary school pupils fail to achieve 30-min of daily, in-school moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The aim of this study was to investigate MVPA accumulation and subject frequency during academic lesson segments and the broader segmented school day. Methods: 122 children (42.6% boys; 9.9 ± 0.3 years) from six primary schools in North East England, wore uniaxial accelerometers for eight consecutive days. Subject frequency was assessed by teacher diaries. Multilevel models (children nested within schools) examined significant predictors of MVPA across each school-day segment (lesson one, break, lesson two, lunch, lesson three). Results: Pupils averaged 18.33 ± 8.34 min of in-school MVPA, and 90.2% failed to achieve the in-school 30-min MVPA threshold. Across all school-day segments, MVPA accumulation was typically influenced at the individual level. Lessons one and two—dominated by maths and English—were less active than lesson three. Break and lunch were the most active segments. Conclusion: This study breaks new ground, revealing that MVPA accumulation and subject frequency varies greatly during different academic lessons. Morning lessons were dominated by the inactive delivery of maths and English, whereas afternoon lessons involved a greater array of subject delivery that resulted in marginally higher levels of MVPA.

ACS Style

Andy Daly-Smith; Matthew Hobbs; Jade Morris; Margaret Defeyter; Geir Resaland; Jim McKenna. Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity in Primary School Children: Inactive Lessons Are Dominated by Maths and English. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18, 990 .

AMA Style

Andy Daly-Smith, Matthew Hobbs, Jade Morris, Margaret Defeyter, Geir Resaland, Jim McKenna. Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity in Primary School Children: Inactive Lessons Are Dominated by Maths and English. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18 (3):990.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Andy Daly-Smith; Matthew Hobbs; Jade Morris; Margaret Defeyter; Geir Resaland; Jim McKenna. 2021. "Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity in Primary School Children: Inactive Lessons Are Dominated by Maths and English." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 3: 990.

Preprint
Published: 18 December 2020
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Background: A large majority of primary school pupils fail to achieve 30-minutes in-school moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The aim of this study was to investigate MVPA accumulation and subject frequency during academic lesson segments and the broader segmented school day. Methods: 122 children (42.6% boys; 9.9±0.3yrs) from six primary schools in North East England, wore uniaxial accelerometers for eight consecutive days. Subject frequency was assessed by teacher diaries. Multilevel models (children nested within schools) examined significant predictors of MVPA across each school-day segment (lesson one, break, lesson two, lunch, lesson three). Results: Pupils averaged 18.33±8.34 minutes of in-school MVPA and 90.2% failed to achieve the in-school 30-minute MVPA threshold. Across all school-day segments, MVPA accumulation was typically influenced at the individual level. Lesson one and two - dominated by Math and English - were less active than lesson three. Break and lunch were the most active segments. Conclusion: This study breaks new ground, revealing MVPA accumulation and subject frequency varies greatly during different academic lessons. Morning lessons were dominated by the inactive delivery of Math and English, whereas afternoon lessons involved a greater array of subject delivery that resulted in marginally higher levels of MVPA.

ACS Style

Andy Daly-Smith; Matthew Hobbs; Jade Morris; Margaret Anne DeFeyter; Geir Kare Resaland; Jim McKenna. Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity in Primary School Children: Inactive Lessons are Dominated Maths and English. 2020, 1 .

AMA Style

Andy Daly-Smith, Matthew Hobbs, Jade Morris, Margaret Anne DeFeyter, Geir Kare Resaland, Jim McKenna. Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity in Primary School Children: Inactive Lessons are Dominated Maths and English. . 2020; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Andy Daly-Smith; Matthew Hobbs; Jade Morris; Margaret Anne DeFeyter; Geir Kare Resaland; Jim McKenna. 2020. "Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity in Primary School Children: Inactive Lessons are Dominated Maths and English." , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 19 May 2020 in Sustainability
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Summer is a stressful time of year for many parents as they struggle to meet household expenses and feed children. The aim of the present study is to determine if there is an association between summertime food insecurity (i.e., holiday hunger) and parental stress among a sample of UK parents with school age children living in North East England. A cross-sectional sample of (n = 252) parents are analyzed using holiday hunger as the independent variable and a subjective measure of stress that treats summer as a ‘stressful event’ as the dependent variable. Of the parents in the sample, 64.8% reported at least some level of holiday hunger. We find parents facing any holiday hunger scored substantively higher on the overall 75-point Impact of Event Scale (mean difference = 30.4, 95% confidence interval ((CI) 24.2–36.6), the 35-point intrusion subscale (13.7, 95% CI 10.8–16.5), and the 40-point avoidance subscale (16.7, 95% CI 13.3–20.2). These findings are replicated in a regression analysis. In addition, we find that holiday hunger partially mediates the association between economic hardship (i.e., unemployment and poverty) and parental stress. We conclude by suggesting that government policies addressing economic hardship are not only likely to reduce holiday hunger, but also improve mental wellbeing.

ACS Style

Paul B. Stretesky; Margaret Anne Defeyter; Michael A. Long; Liesel A. Ritchie; Duane A. Gill. Holiday Hunger and Parental Stress: Evidence from North East England. Sustainability 2020, 12, 4141 .

AMA Style

Paul B. Stretesky, Margaret Anne Defeyter, Michael A. Long, Liesel A. Ritchie, Duane A. Gill. Holiday Hunger and Parental Stress: Evidence from North East England. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (10):4141.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Paul B. Stretesky; Margaret Anne Defeyter; Michael A. Long; Liesel A. Ritchie; Duane A. Gill. 2020. "Holiday Hunger and Parental Stress: Evidence from North East England." Sustainability 12, no. 10: 4141.

Review
Published: 01 May 2020 in Sustainability
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Food insecurity is a substantial problem in nearly every advanced capitalist nation, with sizable portions of residents in many affluent countries struggling to eat healthily every day. Over time, a very large literature has developed that documents food insecurity, evaluates programs meant to reduce that insecurity, and proposes solutions to attenuate the problem. The purpose of the current review is to provide a very broad overview of the food insecurity literature, including definitions, measurement, areas of study, and impacts on health. Importantly, this review suggests there are two major causes of food insecurity in the advanced nations: economic inequality and neoliberalism. The food insecurity literature suggests that diminished government responsibility in advanced capitalist nations corresponds to an increase in feeding programs run by non-profit and charitable organizations. This review concludes by suggesting that, while a massive amount of research on food insecurity currently exists, more research is still needed to address gaps in the literature when it comes to significant events, coping strategies and disadvantaged populations.

ACS Style

Michael A. Long; Lara Gonçalves; Paul B. Stretesky; Margaret Anne Defeyter. Food Insecurity in Advanced Capitalist Nations: A Review. Sustainability 2020, 12, 3654 .

AMA Style

Michael A. Long, Lara Gonçalves, Paul B. Stretesky, Margaret Anne Defeyter. Food Insecurity in Advanced Capitalist Nations: A Review. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (9):3654.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Michael A. Long; Lara Gonçalves; Paul B. Stretesky; Margaret Anne Defeyter. 2020. "Food Insecurity in Advanced Capitalist Nations: A Review." Sustainability 12, no. 9: 3654.

Journal article
Published: 10 October 2017 in Health & Social Care in the Community
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This research investigates whether holiday clubs have the potential to reduce food insecurity among households in the United Kingdom. We survey parents (n = 38) of children attending seven different holiday clubs to estimate the percentage of children in those programmes who come from food insecure households. Results suggest that 42% (16 out of 38 respondents) of children come from households defined as "food insecure" and 24% (9 out of 38 respondents) come from households that are "food insecure with hunger." When secure and insecure households are compared, we discover that food insecure households benefit the most from holiday clubs, which suggests that they may play an important role in mitigating household food insecurity.

ACS Style

Michael A. Long; Paul B. Stretesky; Pamela Louise Graham; Katie Jane Palmer; Eileen Steinbock; Margaret Anne DeFeyter. The impact of holiday clubs on household food insecurity—A pilot study. Health & Social Care in the Community 2017, 26, e261 -e269.

AMA Style

Michael A. Long, Paul B. Stretesky, Pamela Louise Graham, Katie Jane Palmer, Eileen Steinbock, Margaret Anne DeFeyter. The impact of holiday clubs on household food insecurity—A pilot study. Health & Social Care in the Community. 2017; 26 (2):e261-e269.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Michael A. Long; Paul B. Stretesky; Pamela Louise Graham; Katie Jane Palmer; Eileen Steinbock; Margaret Anne DeFeyter. 2017. "The impact of holiday clubs on household food insecurity—A pilot study." Health & Social Care in the Community 26, no. 2: e261-e269.

Original research article
Published: 06 October 2017 in Frontiers in Public Health
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This study sought to examine whether summer learning loss occurs in spelling and word reading in a population of 77 primary school aged children aged between 5-10 years (37 boys, mean age 100 months, SD 18months, and 40 girls mean age 103 months, SD 16 months) attending three schools in areas of low SES in Scotland and the North East of England. Word reading and spelling was measured using the word reading and spelling sub-tests of the Wide Ranging Achievement Test (WRAT 4). Participants were tested on three occassions: immediately before and immediately after a seven week summer break, and again after seven weeks of teaching. The results showed a significant main effect of time for spelling scores, F (2,136) = 21.60, p 0.05, ηp 2 = .021 ). None of the interactions were significant. There was no main effect of time on word reading scores (F (2,136) = 1.12, p = >0.05 ηp 2 = .016 ). However there was a main effect of school (F(2,68) = 4.85, p = <0.01 ηp 2 = .005 ) in relation to reading scores, with children from school 2 and school 3 outperforming children from school 1. There was no significant main effect of gender (F (1,68)

ACS Style

Jackie Shinwell; Margaret Anne DeFeyter. Investigation of Summer Learning Loss in the UK—Implications for Holiday Club Provision. Frontiers in Public Health 2017, 5, 1 .

AMA Style

Jackie Shinwell, Margaret Anne DeFeyter. Investigation of Summer Learning Loss in the UK—Implications for Holiday Club Provision. Frontiers in Public Health. 2017; 5 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jackie Shinwell; Margaret Anne DeFeyter. 2017. "Investigation of Summer Learning Loss in the UK—Implications for Holiday Club Provision." Frontiers in Public Health 5, no. : 1.

Original research article
Published: 22 August 2016 in Frontiers in Public Health
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Access to an adequate supply of nutritious food has been recognized as a basic human right. However, many families across the UK face food insecurity, which is thought to be exacerbated during school holidays. To address this issue, some schools and community groups have chosen to roll out holiday clubs, though research into the effectiveness of such interventions is limited and no studies to date have evaluated holiday clubs being organized through schools. In an effort to address some of the limitations in the research literature, the current qualitative investigation utilized semi-structured interviews with staff involved in holiday clubs in school and community venues with the aim of gauging their views on the need for and benefits of holiday food provision in addition to potential areas for development. The investigation revealed that staff perceived many families to be facing food insecurity and isolation during the school holidays, which may be alleviated through holiday club provision. Holiday clubs were viewed as a valuable source of support for children and adults, providing food, activities and learning experiences. Staff were keen to see them implemented on a wider scale in future but suggested some areas that require attention in any future development of such provision. Findings are discussed in relation to current research, policy and practice surrounding the health and wellbeing of children and families.

ACS Style

Pamela Louise Graham; Eilish Crilley; Paul B. Stretesky; Michael A. Long; Katie Jane Palmer; Eileen Steinbock; Margaret Anne DeFeyter. School Holiday Food Provision in the UK: A Qualitative Investigation of Needs, Benefits, and Potential for Development. Frontiers in Public Health 2016, 4, 172 .

AMA Style

Pamela Louise Graham, Eilish Crilley, Paul B. Stretesky, Michael A. Long, Katie Jane Palmer, Eileen Steinbock, Margaret Anne DeFeyter. School Holiday Food Provision in the UK: A Qualitative Investigation of Needs, Benefits, and Potential for Development. Frontiers in Public Health. 2016; 4 ():172.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pamela Louise Graham; Eilish Crilley; Paul B. Stretesky; Michael A. Long; Katie Jane Palmer; Eileen Steinbock; Margaret Anne DeFeyter. 2016. "School Holiday Food Provision in the UK: A Qualitative Investigation of Needs, Benefits, and Potential for Development." Frontiers in Public Health 4, no. : 172.

Original research article
Published: 02 August 2016 in Frontiers in Public Health
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In the last decade the provision of school breakfast has increased significantly in the UK. However, there is an absence of knowledge regarding senior stakeholder views on the processes and potential outcomes on different groups, within the communities served by school breakfast programs. The purpose of this study was to examine the views and experiences of senior level stakeholders and thereby provide an original qualitative contribution to the research. A sample of senior level stakeholders were recruited, including senior officers, directors and elected members, from within a Local Authority (LA) involved in the leadership, implementation and delivery of a council-wide universal free school breakfast (USFB) program, and from the senior staff body of mainstream primary and special schools, participating in the program. A grounded theory analysis of the data collected identified issues encountered in the implementation and delivery, and views on the funding and future of a USFB program, in addition to perceived outcomes of children, parents, families, schools and the wider community. The results refer to both positive and negative issues and implications associated with the program, according to the perspectives of senior level stakeholders. Perceived positive outcomes included benefits to children, families, schools and the community. For instance, alleviating hunger, improving health outcomes, and conferring financial benefits, with the potential to cumulate in overall improvements in educational, social and behavioral outcomes. Reported negative implications included the absence of an effective communication strategy in implementing the USFB program; in addition to concerns about the impacts of ‘double-breakfasting’ on obesity levels among children, particularly in less deprived communities. Findings were validated using theoretical sampling and saturation, triangulation methods, member checks, and inter-rater reliability measures. In presenting these findings, this paper provides a unique qualitative insight into the processes, issues and outcomes of a council-wide universal free school breakfast program within a socioeconomically deprived community, according to the perceptions of senior level stakeholders.

ACS Style

Louise Harvey-Golding; Lynn Donkin; Margaret Anne DeFeyter. Universal Free School Breakfast: A Qualitative Process Evaluation According to the Perspectives of Senior Stakeholders. Frontiers in Public Health 2016, 4, 161 .

AMA Style

Louise Harvey-Golding, Lynn Donkin, Margaret Anne DeFeyter. Universal Free School Breakfast: A Qualitative Process Evaluation According to the Perspectives of Senior Stakeholders. Frontiers in Public Health. 2016; 4 ():161.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Louise Harvey-Golding; Lynn Donkin; Margaret Anne DeFeyter. 2016. "Universal Free School Breakfast: A Qualitative Process Evaluation According to the Perspectives of Senior Stakeholders." Frontiers in Public Health 4, no. : 161.

Journal article
Published: 19 March 2016 in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
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Research indicates that in experimental settings, young children of 3–7 years old are unlikely to devise a simple tool to solve a problem. This series of exploratory studies done in museums in the US and UK explores how environment and ownership of materials may improve children's ability and inclination for (i) tool material selection and (ii) innovation. The first study takes place in a children's museum, an environment where children can use tools and materials freely. We replicated a tool innovation task in this environment and found that while 3–4 year olds showed the predicted low levels of innovation rates, 4–7 year olds showed higher rates of innovation than the younger children and than reported in prior studies. The second study explores the effect of whether the experimental materials are owned by the experimenter or the child on tool selection and innovation. Results showed that 5–6 year olds and 6–7 year olds were more likely to select tool material they owned compared to tool material owned by the experimenter, although ownership had no effect on tool innovation. We argue that learning environments supporting tool exploration and invention and conveying ownership over materials may encourage successful tool innovation at earlier ages.

ACS Style

Kimberly M. Sheridan; Abigail W. Konopasky; Sophie Kirkwood; Margaret Anne DeFeyter. The effects of environment and ownership on children's innovation of tools and tool material selection. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 2016, 371, 20150191 .

AMA Style

Kimberly M. Sheridan, Abigail W. Konopasky, Sophie Kirkwood, Margaret Anne DeFeyter. The effects of environment and ownership on children's innovation of tools and tool material selection. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 2016; 371 (1690):20150191.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kimberly M. Sheridan; Abigail W. Konopasky; Sophie Kirkwood; Margaret Anne DeFeyter. 2016. "The effects of environment and ownership on children's innovation of tools and tool material selection." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 371, no. 1690: 20150191.

Original research article
Published: 13 August 2015 in Frontiers in Public Health
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Across the UK 1.3 million children access free school meals for around 38 weeks of the year. However, during school holidays many families face considerable difficulties in providing a consistent and nutritious supply of food for their children, particularly during the extended summer break. In an effort to address this issue, a number of community-based breakfast clubs were set up across the North West of England and in Northern Ireland where people could access a free breakfast meal during the summer holidays. Qualitative interviews were carried out with 17 children, 18 adult attendees and 15 breakfast club staff to determine the uses and impacts associated with holiday breakfast club participation and to investigate potential areas for future development of holiday food provision. Findings highlighted a need for holiday food provision and revealed a multitude of nutritional, social and financial benefits for those who accessed holiday breakfast clubs. Areas for further development and investigation are discussed in addition to implications for UK food and educational policies.

ACS Style

Margaret Anne DeFeyter; Pamela Louise Graham; Kate Prince. A Qualitative Evaluation of Holiday Breakfast Clubs in the UK: Views of Adult Attendees, Children, and Staff. Frontiers in Public Health 2015, 3, 1 .

AMA Style

Margaret Anne DeFeyter, Pamela Louise Graham, Kate Prince. A Qualitative Evaluation of Holiday Breakfast Clubs in the UK: Views of Adult Attendees, Children, and Staff. Frontiers in Public Health. 2015; 3 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Margaret Anne DeFeyter; Pamela Louise Graham; Kate Prince. 2015. "A Qualitative Evaluation of Holiday Breakfast Clubs in the UK: Views of Adult Attendees, Children, and Staff." Frontiers in Public Health 3, no. : 1.

Original research article
Published: 30 July 2015 in Frontiers in Public Health
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The health benefits of school food have been widely promoted in recent years while the social opportunities that surround eating occasions at school have received little attention. Breakfast clubs, which take place at the start of the school day, offer a unique opportunity for children to consume a breakfast meal on their school premises in the company of their peers. Alternatively, after school clubs, which take place on school premises at the end of the school day, whilst also providing children with social opportunities tend to focus on sports engagement and skill development. The aim of the current paper is to investigate whether attendance at breakfast clubs and after school clubs has an impact on children’s friendship quality and experiences of peer victimization. Breakfast club attendees, after-school club attendees and non-attendees completed the Friendship Qualities Scale (FQS) and the Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale (MPVS) at two time points. Time 1 data were collected two months after the introduction of school clubs. Time 2 data were then collected on the same measures again six months later. Results of the analyses of Time 1 data showed no significant differences between groups on any of the measures at Time 1. However, at Time 2 breakfast club attendees showed improved levels of friendship quality compared to the other two groups. Moreover, analysis of the MPVS data at Time 2 showed that children who attended breakfast club or after school club experienced a decline in victimization across time. The current findings suggest that breakfast club attendance facilitates the quality of children’s relationships with their best friend over time. Additionally, attendance at a breakfast or after school club was associated with a reduction in victimization over time. The results have implications for utilization of breakfast and after school clubs to aid children’s social relationships in school over time.

ACS Style

Margaret Anne DeFeyter; Pamela Graham; Riccardo Russo. More than Just a Meal: Breakfast Club Attendance and Children’s Social Relationships. Frontiers in Public Health 2015, 3, 1 .

AMA Style

Margaret Anne DeFeyter, Pamela Graham, Riccardo Russo. More than Just a Meal: Breakfast Club Attendance and Children’s Social Relationships. Frontiers in Public Health. 2015; 3 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Margaret Anne DeFeyter; Pamela Graham; Riccardo Russo. 2015. "More than Just a Meal: Breakfast Club Attendance and Children’s Social Relationships." Frontiers in Public Health 3, no. : 1.

Original research article
Published: 08 July 2015 in Frontiers in Public Health
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Breakfast clubs are widely promoted as having a beneficial impact on children’s behavior at the start of the school day, which can be conducive to their learning within the classroom. However, the few available studies that have considered the impact of breakfast club attendance on children’s behavior have yielded mixed results and no studies to date have directly observed children’s behavior within the breakfast club setting. Using a combination of real-time observation and filmed breakfast club footage, the aim of the current study was to: 1) devise a set of observational criteria appropriate for use in the breakfast club setting; 2) investigate the occurrence of both positive and negative behaviors. A sample of 30 children aged between 3 and 11 years were recruited from three, opportunistically sampled primary school breakfast clubs in the North East of England, UK. The behaviors they displayed within the breakfast club setting on two separate days were observed and coded for subsequent analysis. Results of the investigation showed that children’s behavior could be classified into three positive and three negative behavioral categories. Using these categories to code children’s behavior as they engaged in breakfast club showed that children displayed more positive than negative behaviors within the breakfast club setting and this was the case regardless of the type of activity (i.e. quiet or boisterous) children were involved in. Findings are discussed in relation to breakfast club policy, implementation and evaluation.

ACS Style

Pamela Louise Graham; Riccardo Russo; Margaret Anne DeFeyter. Breakfast Clubs: Starting the Day in a Positive Way. Frontiers in Public Health 2015, 3, 172 .

AMA Style

Pamela Louise Graham, Riccardo Russo, Margaret Anne DeFeyter. Breakfast Clubs: Starting the Day in a Positive Way. Frontiers in Public Health. 2015; 3 ():172.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pamela Louise Graham; Riccardo Russo; Margaret Anne DeFeyter. 2015. "Breakfast Clubs: Starting the Day in a Positive Way." Frontiers in Public Health 3, no. : 172.

Original research article
Published: 11 June 2015 in Frontiers in Public Health
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In recent years the provision of school breakfast has increased significantly in the UK. However, research examining the effectiveness of school breakfast is still within relative stages of infancy, and findings to date have been rather mixed. Moreover, previous evaluations of school breakfast schemes have been predominantly quantitative in their methodologies. Presently there are few qualitative studies examining the subjective perceptions and experiences of stakeholders, and thereby an absence of knowledge regarding the sociocultural impacts of school breakfast. The purpose of this study was to investigate the beliefs, views and attitudes, and breakfast consumption behaviors, among key stakeholders, served by a council-wide universal free school breakfast initiative, within the North West of England, UK. A sample of children, parents and school staff were recruited from three primary schools, participating in the universal free school breakfast scheme, to partake in semi-structured interviews and small focus groups. A Grounded Theory analysis of the data collected identified a theoretical model of breakfast behaviors, underpinned by the subjective perceptions and experiences of these key stakeholders. The model comprises of three domains relating to breakfast behaviors, and the internal and external factors that are perceived to influence breakfast behaviors, among children, parents and school staff. Findings were validated using triangulation methods, member checks and inter-rater reliability measures. In presenting this theoretically grounded model for breakfast behaviors, this paper provides a unique qualitative insight into the breakfast consumption behaviors and barriers to breakfast consumption, within a socioeconomically deprived community, participating in a universal free school breakfast intervention program.

ACS Style

Louise Harvey-Golding; Lynn Margaret Donkin; John Blackledge; Margaret Anne DeFeyter. Universal Free School Breakfast: A Qualitative Model for Breakfast Behaviors. Frontiers in Public Health 2015, 3, 1 .

AMA Style

Louise Harvey-Golding, Lynn Margaret Donkin, John Blackledge, Margaret Anne DeFeyter. Universal Free School Breakfast: A Qualitative Model for Breakfast Behaviors. Frontiers in Public Health. 2015; 3 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Louise Harvey-Golding; Lynn Margaret Donkin; John Blackledge; Margaret Anne DeFeyter. 2015. "Universal Free School Breakfast: A Qualitative Model for Breakfast Behaviors." Frontiers in Public Health 3, no. : 1.

Original research article
Published: 05 June 2015 in Frontiers in Public Health
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The provision of school breakfast has become increasingly popular in the UK in recent years. However, UK based studies highlighting the views of parents, children and school staff on school breakfast clubs are lacking. The current study set out to address this dearth in the literature by investigating the views of these key user and stakeholder groups on breakfast clubs within the North East of England. Fourteen parents, 21 children and 17 school staff were recruited from 4 primary schools where breakfast clubs were available on site. Parents and school staff took part in semi-structured interviews and children participated in focus groups, through which the advantages and disadvantages of breakfast clubs were discussed. Thematic analysis revealed that breakfast clubs provided children with a settled and enjoyable start to the school day. As well as providing children with a healthy and varied breakfast meal and unique opportunities for social interaction, breakfast clubs were recognized as an integral part of the school system that offered support to parents, particularly those who worked and relied on breakfast clubs as a means of affordable and reliable childcare. The few disadvantages identified related to practical issues such as a lack of adherence to school food standards, breakfast club staff missing class preparation time and concerns that some children were being excluded from participating in breakfast clubs particularly due to costs associated with attendance. The findings are discussed in relation to the School Food Plan and areas for further investigation are proposed.

ACS Style

Pamela Louise Graham; Riccardo Russo; Margaret Anne DeFeyter. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast Clubs According to Parents, Children, and School Staff in the North East of England, UK. Frontiers in Public Health 2015, 3, 1 .

AMA Style

Pamela Louise Graham, Riccardo Russo, Margaret Anne DeFeyter. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast Clubs According to Parents, Children, and School Staff in the North East of England, UK. Frontiers in Public Health. 2015; 3 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pamela Louise Graham; Riccardo Russo; Margaret Anne DeFeyter. 2015. "The Advantages and Disadvantages of Breakfast Clubs According to Parents, Children, and School Staff in the North East of England, UK." Frontiers in Public Health 3, no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 12 November 2013 in Journal of Cognition and Development
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ACS Style

Sarah Malcolm; Margaret Anne DeFeyter; Ori Friedman. Children and Adults Use Gender and Age Stereotypes in Ownership Judgments. Journal of Cognition and Development 2013, 15, 123 -135.

AMA Style

Sarah Malcolm, Margaret Anne DeFeyter, Ori Friedman. Children and Adults Use Gender and Age Stereotypes in Ownership Judgments. Journal of Cognition and Development. 2013; 15 (1):123-135.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sarah Malcolm; Margaret Anne DeFeyter; Ori Friedman. 2013. "Children and Adults Use Gender and Age Stereotypes in Ownership Judgments." Journal of Cognition and Development 15, no. 1: 123-135.

Conference paper
Published: 24 June 2013 in Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children
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There is growing emphasis on teenagers to adopt healthy behaviours and sustainable lifestyles. Innovative interventions delivered through pervasive technology or the internet are increasingly viewed as effective ways to motivate and help people change their behaviour. However, delivering interventions to change teenager's attitude or behaviour via pervasive systems need to be designed specifically for the target population. When working with teenagers relevant, teen-centric and appropriate activities need to be used. The aim of this workshop is to discuss and develop interdisciplinary research in the design of technology for behaviour change interventions in the teenage population.

ACS Style

Linda Little; Beth Bell; Greta Defeyter; Janet C. Read; Dan Fitton; Matthew Horton. Behaviour change interventions. Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children 2013, 610 -612.

AMA Style

Linda Little, Beth Bell, Greta Defeyter, Janet C. Read, Dan Fitton, Matthew Horton. Behaviour change interventions. Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children. 2013; ():610-612.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Linda Little; Beth Bell; Greta Defeyter; Janet C. Read; Dan Fitton; Matthew Horton. 2013. "Behaviour change interventions." Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children , no. : 610-612.

Randomized controlled trial
Published: 08 March 2013 in Child Development
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It is impossible to perceive who owns an object; this must be inferred. One way that children make such inferences is through a first possession bias--when two agents each use an object, children judge the object belongs to the one who used it first. Two experiments show that this bias does not result from children directly inferring ownership from first possession; the experiments instead support an alternative account according to which the first possession bias reflects children's historical reasoning. In Experiment 1, eighty-five 3- to 5-year-olds only based inferences on first possession when it was informative about the past. In Experiment 2, thirty-two 5-year-olds based ownership judgments on testimony about past contact, while disregarding testimony about future contact.

ACS Style

Ori Friedman; Julia W. Van De Vondervoort; Karen R. Neary; Margaret Anne DeFeyter. First Possession, History, and Young Children's Ownership Judgments. Child Development 2013, 84, 1519 -1525.

AMA Style

Ori Friedman, Julia W. Van De Vondervoort, Karen R. Neary, Margaret Anne DeFeyter. First Possession, History, and Young Children's Ownership Judgments. Child Development. 2013; 84 (5):1519-1525.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ori Friedman; Julia W. Van De Vondervoort; Karen R. Neary; Margaret Anne DeFeyter. 2013. "First Possession, History, and Young Children's Ownership Judgments." Child Development 84, no. 5: 1519-1525.